Jeffrey Castillo, Zakhar (Zack) Berkovich,
Jessica Gunsch, and Sheila Gaddy have a lot
in common. They're University at Albany
undergraduates who aspire to successful careers,
want to leave a mark on the world, and plan
to give back to the University. They're
also the first students to receive Inaugural
Scholarships. The scholarship fund recently
topped $1.68 million.

Castillo, 20 and a senior business major,
already has an analyst's position
awaiting him at J.P. Morgan Chase. He takes 18 to 21 credits each semester and
summer courses, and he participates in Project Excel, a program that provides
academic support and other services that increase the retention and graduation
rates of low-income, first-generation, and disabled students.

"It says a lot about the University that the president would use money
set aside for his inauguration to establish the Inaugural Scholarship Fund instead," Castillo
notes. The Manhattan native enrolled at the University because "UAlbany
had the most established business program in the entire SUNY system. I read the
profile of [Associate Professor and Chair of Marketing] William Danko, who co-authored
The Millionaire Next Door," and decided to apply for admission. Three years
later, he finds his UAlbany education "superior to that of some of my peers
who go to other schools," including Ivy League institutions.

Gunsch, a senior, majors in business and
minors in English and women's
studies. The eldest of five children from a Pleasant Valley, N.Y., family, she
plans a career on Wall Street. "I want to be happy with what I do, not
just have a job," she says.

Severely injured in an auto accident several
years ago, Gunsch, 21, overcame her doctors' doubts that she would recover and refused to listen to friends
who told her that she would probably have to abandon her plans for college. "I
like going to class. I like to learn new things," says Gunsch, who works
several jobs to make ends meet.

The Inaugural Scholarship validates her
determination. "I'm proud
to attend UAlbany because we have a president like Dr. Hall who cares for students.
Not many students have the opportunity to get something like this scholarship." Like
Hall, "I want to be out in the community making a difference when I graduate.
And I want to give back to the University so I can support other students. I
know it's going to be hard, but I have the commitment and the drive to
succeed."

A sophomore with senior standing who has
majors in biology and Judaic studies and
a minor in mathematics, Berkovich immigrated
to Staten Island from Belarus with his parents
and younger sister several years ago.

A work/study student for the Division of
University Development, he is active with
Albany Crew, Hillel, and the Spirit Committee. "I want to explore
a lot of things and leave my imprint," explains Berkovich, who packs as
much as he can into a typical day and has decided that "sleep is overrated."

He aspires to a career in medicine, possibly
as a pediatrician, and is taking steps to
make that goal a reality. A member of Albany's Western Turnpike
Rescue Squad, Berkovich enjoys "working with people who feel you are helping
them. You can see the thanks in their eyes."

Gaddy, an Albany native "on a mission to do something with my life," enrolled
at UAlbany two years ago. Now a senior Africana studies major and English minor,
she hopes to teach at the University someday.

She also plans to write; in fact, Gaddy
is already the author of the self-published
Life's Experiences and
Challenges in Poetry. The poems, "13 or 14
years old and written on scraps of paper when I published them," chronicle
some of the struggles she has overcome. "If you are really determined to
do something, you can do it," says the mom of three grown children.

Of the Inaugural Scholarship, Gaddy says, "There are just no words for
being acknowledged for your accomplishments." She adds: "The University
gives students a lot of support. People like President Hall; [Associate Vice
President for Academic Affairs] Carson Carr; [Assistant Dean for Student Affairs]
Nancy Belowich-Negron; and [Professor and Chair of Africana Studies] Leonard
A. Slade Jr. make it possible for students like me to make it, and I really mean
that."